Yay! I have finally – finally completed chapter five. I hope I hadn’t turned you guys away for taking such a long time to finish this chapter. Whew!

Ani, your turn to take over.

As for me, I shall do a minor editing to the entire chapter to make it *slightly* more pleasing to the eyes. It won’t do much good, ‘cause I am hardly good in English and everything. After that, I shall concentrate on Chapter 7 while ani slogs it out here. Hehe….

Duan Yu hugged Mu Wanqing to his bosom, feeling both happy and concerned, he asked, “Miss Mu, how is your injury? Did that evil person bully you?” Mu Wanqing said angrily, “Who am I to you? Still calling me Miss Mu?”

Seeing Mu Wanqing angry, yet prettier at the same time; this seven days he had missed her really badly; he tightened his arms and said gently, “Sister Wan! Sister Wan! Can I call you that?” lowering his head at the same time and kissed her. Mu Wanqing exclaimed, “Ah!” blushed deeply and jumped up saying “There are other people here! How could you…you do that? Aye, where are those people?” looking around, realised that Chu, Gu, Fu, Zhu these four people were gone; Zuo Zi Mu had left with his son, leaving not a single person in their surroundings.

Duan Yu asked, “Who else is here? Is it Divine Croc?” looking frightened. Mu Wanqing asked, “How long have you been here?” Duan Yu replied, “Only for a while. I came up this peak.” Mu Wanqing said, “Ok…”mumbling, “This is strange. How come everyone just disappeared in an instant? Suddenly, someone behind a rock recited, “Moving thousands of miles with a sword, daring to speak…” during the reciting, a person came out; it was one of the four royal guards Zhu Dan Chen. Duan Yu said happily, “Brother Zhu!” Zhu Dan Chen walked two steps in front, bowed and replied happily “Young master, luckily you are safe and well, just now what the young lady said made us so anxious!” Duan Yu made a polite hand gesture and said, “So all of you have met? Why are you…you here? This is too coincidental.”

Zhu Dan Chen replied with a smile, “The four of us were ordered to escort young master home, it was not a coincidence. Young master, you are so daring to wander alone in the martial arts world. We went to Ma Wu De’s home to find you and also rushed to Mt. No Measure. These few days all of us have been worried enough. Duan Yu replied with a laugh, “I went through quite a lot of suffering too. Uncle and father must be really angry, right?” Zhu Dan Chen replied, “They are of course not very happy. But when we left the two masters’ anger had been appeased and they have missed you greatly these few days. After Marquis Shan Chan found out that the four evil ones were coming to Dali, he became worried that young master will bump into them, thus he personally rushed out.”

Duan yu said, “Uncle Gao is finding me too? How can I not feel bad? Where is he?” Zhu Dan Chen replied, “Just now we were all here. Lord Gao chased away an evil woman, heard young master’s cries, heaved a sigh of relief and then he ordered me to wait here for young master. Then they went to chase after the evil woman. Young master, let’s go back home, so that the two masters will not be too worried. Duan Yu said, “So you…you were here all along?” thinking about how his intimate actions with Mu Wanqing had been seen and heard by him, leading him to blush in embarrassment.

Zhu Dan Chen said, ‘Just now I was sitting behind the rock reading Wang Chang Ling’s poetry collection, his wu jue “Moving thousands of miles with a sword, daring to speak….Once a man of honour, not breaking his promises…”in these simple twenty words which are unconventional and very worthy of admiration.” and took out a book; it was “Wang Chang Ling’s poetry collection”. Duan Yu nodded and replied, ‘Wang Chang Ling’s speciality is qi jue, not wu jue. But this literary piece is of high quality. Isn’t his other piece: “song guo si cang” even better?’ he then recited “Reflection of the door in the green water, leaving the heart of the master. The bright moon…, the deep spring night.” Zhu Dan Chen bowed again and said “Thank you young master.” using the poetry lines to change the topic. He used those lines to say that he will, like the others repay young master in death. Duan Yu used those lines to say that as master, he is devoted to his subordinates and will treat them as good friends. Looking at each other, the two of them smiled.

Mu Wanqing did not know poetry and thought “This bookworm has forgotten where he is, he gets so interested once he talks about poetry. This military officer sure knows how to flatter people by bringing a book with him. She did not know that Zhu Dan Chen was of both literary and military capacity and usually read books of poetry.

Zhu Dan Chen said with a laugh, “I do not dare to be called that.” thinking “This young lady is really pretty, just now when she slapped young master, she had been so agile, it seems as though her kungfu is not bad. Young master was slapped, yet he still smiled, not caring much. For this young lady, he actually left home for such a long period of time; thus, he must be very infatuated with her. I wonder what the background of this young lady is. Young master is so young and therefore, does not know how dangerous the martial arts world is, he should not be smitten with her beauty, maybe even causing him to lose his reputation.” and said with a smile, “The two old masters miss young master and hope that you will go back home immediately. If Miss Mu is free, please go too as our guest.” He was worried that Duan Yu would refuse to go home, but if the young lady would go together, he would most likely agree to do so.

Duan Yu stuttered, “What would…would I say to Uncle and Father?” Mu Wanqing blushed and turned her head away.

Zhu Dan Chen said, “The four evil ones have such high martial arts abilities, just now when the Marquis Shan Chan managed to force Second Madam Ye to retreat, it was by the element of surprise and also by luck. Young Master should not be in such a perilous situation, let’s leave quickly!” Duan Yu thought of Divine Croc’s fierce expression and could not help feeling scared. He said with a nod, “Ok, let’s go. 4th Brother Zhu, since the opponent is so powerful, you should go and help Uncle Gao. I will go home together with Miss Mu.” Zhu Dan Chen said with a laugh, “It was not easy to find Young Master; I should personally escort you home. Miss Mu is well-versed in martial arts, but I think she has not recovered from her injury, it will be bad if you meet strong opponents on your way home, and thus it will be better if I go with the both of you.”

Mu Wanqing said rudely, “You do not need to be so polite when you talk to me. I am a wild woman that has never studied before. I only understand half of what you are saying.” Zhu Dan Chen said with a laugh, “Of course, of course. Although I am a military officer, I like to act as if I am a scholar, this is a bad habit that refuses to go away, please do not blame me, lady.”

Duan Yu was not willing to go home just like that, but since Zhu Dan Chen found him, he knew that he would have no choice but to do so; he would just have to try to leave secretly during the journey, thus, the three of them went down the peak. Mu Wanqing wanted to ask Duan Yu where he had gone to during those seven days and seven nights but because Zhu Dan Chen was near, talking was not convenient, thus she had to resist the urge. Zhu dan chen brought dried food which he gave the two of them to eat.

The three of them reached the bottom of the peak and after travelling for miles, they found five horses tied to a tree. It turned out to be what Gu du cheng and the others rode here. Zhu Dan Chen led three of the horses to them and after Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing got on the horses, he got on one horse himself and followed them behind. That night, the three of them rested at an inn, each of them taking separate rooms. Zhu Dan Chen then bought a new set on clothes for Duan Yu to change into so that he did not have to suffer the misery of the holes in his trousers.

Mu Wanqing closed the door of her room, staring at the red candle on the table, she sat down, feeling both happy and worried. She thought, “Husband Duan came to find me despite of the danger, showing how devoted he is to me. These few days I have been cursing him, thinking he was heartless; I have misunderstood him. Zhu Dan Chen treats him with so much respect, thus, he must be some important officer’s son. I, being a lady, although we have been engaged, should not go to his home for no apparent reason, isn’t that awkward? It seems like his uncle and father are very fierce towards him, if they look down on me and treat me with disrespect, what should I do? Hey, I should use my poison darts to kill his whole family, except him.” While she was thinking about this, she suddenly heard two soft taps on the window.

Mu Wanqing extinguished the candle flame with a wave of her left hand. Outside the window, Duan Yu said, “It’s me.” Hearing Duan Yu look for her in the deep night, her heart started pounding and her cheeks started burning, she whispered, “What do you want?” Duan Yu replied, “You open the window and I tell you.” Mu Wanqing said, “I will not open.” She knew martial arts, yet now she was scared of this weak scholar, it was strange. Duan Yu did not understand why she refused to open the window and he said, “Then you come out quickly and let’s leave quickly.” Mu Wanqing made a hole in the window paper and asked, “Why?” Duan Yu replied, “4th Brother Zhu is asleep, let’s not wake him up. I do not wish to go home.”

Mu Wanqing was overjoyed, she had been worried about meeting Duan Yu’s parents. She then pushed open the window lightly and jumped out. Duan Yu whispered, “I go and get the horses.” Mu Wanqing shook her hands and wrapped her arm around Duan Yu’s waist before taking a deep breath and leapt over the wall. She then whispered, “4th brother Zhu will find out when he hears the sound of the hooves.” Duan Yu said softly with a laugh, “Luckily you thought of that.”

Holding hands, the two of them started travelling towards the east. After walking for miles, they did not hear anyone chasing them from the back and they were relieved. Mu Wanqing said, “Why do you not wish to go home?” Duan Yu replied, “Once I get home, Uncle and Father will definitely lock me up and I will not be able to go out. It will be difficult even to see you once. Mu Wanqing was very pleased and said, “It’s best not to go to your house. From now on, the both of us shall wander in the world, isn’t that carefree? Now where do we go?” Duan Yu said, “Firstly, we must not be caught by 4th brother Zhu and Uncle Gao. Secondly, we must avoid that Divine Croc. Mu Wanqing said, “True. Let’s travel in the northwest direction, its best if we find a village family where we can lie low for some time. After the injury on my back has fully healed, we would not be afraid of anything anymore.” Thus, the two of them traveled in the northwest direction, not daring to slow down, only hoping to leave Mt. No Measure as far as possible.

After they traveled till dawn, Mu Wanqing said, “Those servants in Gu su Wang family must still be looking for me. If we travel during the day, we would be easily noticed. We should find somewhere to rest, daytime, we eat and sleep, nighttime, we travel.” Duan Yu did not know much about the martial arts world, thus he replied, “You decide.” Mu Wanqing said, “After the meal, tell me where you have been these seven days and seven nights. If you dare to lie to me, be careful your...” Before she could finish her sentence, “Aye!” she said.

In front of them, three horses were tied to a willow tree in the shade and a person was sitting on a rock, holding a book in his hand, reciting, of course it was Zhu Dan Chen, who else could it be? Seeing this, Duan Yu was very shocked, he grabbed Mu Wanqing’s hand and said hurriedly, “Let’s go!”

Mu Wanqing was very sure that last night when they secretly escaped, Zhu Dan Chen had found out, he knew Duan Yu did not know qing gong and could not travel fast, he then predicted where the two of them will head and rode on the horse to block their way; she frowned and said, “Blockhead, since we have been caught by him, how can we escape?” then, she walked in front and said mockingly, “Reading in the early morning, you want to be the top scholar?”

Zhu Dan Chen said to Duan Yu with a laugh, “Young master, what poem do you think I am reading?” then he recited “Birds chirp on the ancient tree in the winter, monkeys calling in the desolate mountains, since your eyes are injured, feeling frightened and shocked, isn’t it dangerous? Remember the debt of gratitude of your homeland. No two promises,...winning words..., ...in your life, who will determine your title?”

Duan Yu replied, “This is Wei Zheng’s “Xu Huai”? Zhu Dan Chen said with a laugh, “Young Master is of great literary ability, worthy of admiration, worthy of admiration.” Duan Yu understood that he was using this poem to tell him that I chased after you despite of everything is because he owns Duan Yu’s uncle and father a debt of gratitude, not daring to fail in his mission; he is also hinting that since Duan Yu had agreed to go home, he should not go back on his word.

Mu Wanqing untied the horse and said, “To go to Dali, is the direction we are travelling in right?” Zhu Dan Chen replied, “Since we are free, we travel to the east or travel to the west, we will still get to Dali.” The day before he allowed Duan Yu to ride on the horse with the strongest legs, but now he led that horse to himself, in case the two of them decide to escape on the horses, he will still be able to catch up on the horse.

After Duan Yu got on the horseback, he directed it to the east. Afraid that Duan Yu would get annoyed with him, Zhu Dan Chen kept chatting with him about poetry and books but he did not know about “Yi jing”, otherwise he will be able to cater to Duan Yu’s pleasure. Despite that, Duan Yu was already in high spirits and kept talking a lot. However, Mu Wanqing could not join in the conversation. Not long after, they reached the main road and after they travelled till noon, they stopped at a shop to eat noodles.

Suddenly a shadow flashed past and a tall and thin person walked in the door, once he sat down, he hit the table and called, “Wine and beef, quick, quick!”

Mu Wanqing did not need to look at his face; she only heard how his voice was suddenly low and suddenly high, very unpleasant to the ears, before she knew that “Desperate Evil” Yun Zhong He had arrived, luckily her face was facing towards the inside, not towards him. She then stuck her finger into the soup and wrote on the table, “The Fourth Bad One”. Also using the soup, Zhu Dan Chen wrote on the table, “Leave quickly! Don’t need to wait for me!” Mu Wanqing pulled Duan Yu’s sleeve and the two of them walked into the inside. Zhu Dan Chen moved swiftly into a dark corner.

When Yun Zhong He just reached the shop, he had been staring intently at the main road; when he heard someone moving behind him, he turned back and saw Mu Wanqing just disappearing behind a cupboard and then he shouted, “Who is it? Stop there!” He got up from his seat, his long arm trying to grab Mu Wanqing’s back.

Holding a bowl of soup, Zhu Dan Chen suddenly rushed out from the dark corner and exclaimed, “Ah Yo!” pretending to lose hold of the bowl; a bowl of hot soup splashed towards Yun Zhong He. Not only were they quite near to each other, Zhu Dan Chen was also quick in the splashing and there was no space in the little shop to move around, thus, even though Yun Zhong He did turn around and avoided half of the soup, the other half of the soup still splashed on his face; instantly, his vision blurred and in his anger, he attacked Zhu Dan Chen, hoping to scratch open his chest. But once the bowl left Zhu Dan Chen’s hands, he had conveniently taken a table and threw it together with the bowls, plates and cups towards Yun Zhong He. Yun Zhong He’s five fingers stuck into the table and with strong force, the bowls, plates and cups flew towards him.

Meeting a strong enemy in a small shop, even though he had strong kungfu, he was still in a flurry. He quickly tried to spread his inner energy over his whole body, those plates and bowls that hit him all bounced back but he was still dripping with soup, making him look very embarrassing. Outside the door, there was the clatter of the hooves, two people were leaving, riding on horses towards the north. Yun Zhong He wiped the soup from his eyes with his sleeve, suddenly, he felt something flying towards his chest. He took a deep breath and his chest contracted a few centimetres and his left palm attacked from the air and turning it, he caught the judge’s brush that the enemy had attacked with. Zhu Dan Chen quickly wielded his inner energy, hoping to snatch it back. His inner energy was not strong enough, this seizing originally would not have succeeded, and a favourite weapon would have certainly landed into the hands of the enemy, luckily Yun Zhong He’s hands were oily and his fingers were slippery, thus, he could not hold it tight enough and Zhu Dan Chen actually managed to get back his weapon.

After many moves, Zhu Dan Chen knew that the enemy had good reflexes and strong kungfu, thus, he shouted, “The person with the metal stick and the person with the broad axe, block the door quickly, the bamboo pole would not be able to escape!” He had once heard from Zhu Wan Li and Gu Du Cheng that that night they had met a bamboo pole-like person and with the strength of the two of them, they had managed with an effort to win, thus, Zhu Dan Chen tried to make an empty show of strength. Yun Zhong He did not know that it was a trick and thought, “Oh No! The person with the metal stick and the person with the broad axe are lying in ambush outside, I am alone, one against three, I will definitely lose!” thus, he did not want to fight, immediately, he rushed into the backyard and leapt over the wall. Zhu Dan Chen shouted, “The bamboo pole is escaping, quick, chase after him, we must not let him escape this time!” rushed to the horse, got on it and chased after Duan Yu.

Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing galloped many kilometres on the horses and then slowed to a trot. Not long after, Zhu Dan Chen managed to catch up with them. The two of them stopped their horses to wait for him, about to question him, when Mu Wanqing cried, “Oh No! The person is chasing after us!” on the road, there was a bamboo-like person darting here and there towards them.

Zhu Dan Chen said, “That person’s qing gong is so good!” and whipped Duan Yu’s horse, the three horses galloped even more quickly. In an instant, had left Yun Zhong He far behind. After many kilometres, Mu Wanqing heard the gasping of breath of her horse and had to slow down. However, once she slowed down, Yun Zhong He would be able to catch up with her. Although he could not sprint as fast as a horse, he had really high endurance.

Zhu Dan Chen knew that his ploy had been seen through by Yun Zhong He; empty showing of strength was not going to work anymore. He knew that within twenty kilometres, he will definitely catch up with them. Once they reached Dali city, obviously they will not be afraid of anything but the three horses were galloping slower and slower and the situation was getting desperate. After galloping for some kilometres, Duan Yu’s horse suddenly kneeled down, throwing Duan Yu off. Mu Wanqing jumped off her horse and before Duan Yu had reached the ground, she had already grabbed him and jumped back on to her horse. Zhu Dan Chen was far behind them, so as to defend them against the enemy, thus, when Duan Yu fell off the horse; he was unable to save him, seeing Mu Wanqing saving him at the last moment, he could not help saying, “Good skills!”

Suddenly, Zhu Dan Chen was attacked behind. He used his judge’s brush to fight off the iron fingers. Yun Zhong He used the momentum to scratch the horse’s back until it was dripping with blood. The horse felt painful and galloped even faster. It was not long before there was a long distance between them and Yun Zhong He. However, now there were two people riding on one horse and one horse injured; it was difficult to maintain this for long. Zhu Dan Chen and Mu Wanqing were secretly anxious.

On the other hand, Duan Yu did not know the severity and asked, “Is this person very powerful? Surely, it does not mean that Fourth Brother Zhu cannot defeat him?” Mu Wanqing shook her head and said, “It is a pity I am injured and cannot use my strength to help Fourth Brother Zhu to fight against the evil person.” suddenly, she had an idea and said, “I pretend to fall off the horse and get injured. Then I lie on the floor and catch him unaware by shooting two darts at him, it may work. You ride on the horse and just go, do not need to wait for me.” Duan Yu was very anxious and using his left hand to grab her neck and his right hand to grab her waist, he said, “No! No! How can I let you take the risk?” Mu Wanqing’s face turned red and said, “Blockhead, let go of me! Fourth Brother Zhu can see us!” Duan Yu was shocked and said, “Sorry! Don’t be offended.” Mu Wanqing said, “You are my husband, why say sorry?”

While they were talking, they turned their heads and say Yun Zhong He getting closer and Zhu Dan Chen kept waving his hand, asking them to escape quickly. Then he leapt off his horse and blocked the way. Although he knew he was not the match of Yun Zhong He, he still had to block him, so as to prevent him from catching up with Duan Yu. Unexpectedly, Yun Zhong He only wanted to catch up with Mu Wanqing, suddenly, he ran diagonally into the fields at the side and bypassed Zhu Dan Chen, running straight towards Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing.

Mu Wanqing kept whipping the horse but it was already vomiting white foam and was about to die. Duan Yu said, “If only we were riding your Black Rose, I am sure that evil guy would not be able to catch up with us.” Mu Wanqing said, “Do I need you to remind me of that?”
T
hat horse went over a hill and in front of them was a straight road, no place to hide. In the west, within the green willows, next to the small lake, there was the side of a yellow wall exposed. Duan Yu said happily, “Good! Let’s go there!” Mu Wanqing said, “No! That is a dead end and there is no road to escape.” Duan Yu said, “You listen to me, I would not be wrong.” Using the reins to turn the horse, they headed towards the green willows.

As they got nearer, Mu Wanqing realised that that wall was actually a monastery and “Yu Xu Monastery” seemed to be written on its signboard; thinking quickly, “This blockhead escaped until here where there is no other road. I should hide in a dark corner and shoot the bamboo pole with a dart.” in the blink of an eye, they had reached the front of the monastery, suddenly, they heard someone laughing behind them, it was Yun Zhong He who was only metres away from them.

Yun Zhong He laughed, “It would not be of any use now even if you call for your grandmother or grandfather now.” and leapt towards them. Mu Wan Qing placed her left palm on Duan Yu’s back and summoning her energy, pushed him, calling, “Run into the monastery!” At the same time, she waved her arm and a dart shot out, heading behind her. Yun Zhong He dodged it, and seeing Mu Wanqing leap off the saddle, used the iron fingers in his left hand to grab her shoulder. Mu Wanqing quickly shrunk from his attack and went under the horse’s stomach and at the same time, shot three darts one after the other. Yun Zhong He dodged left and right, leaping backwards to avoid them.

At that moment, a nun walked out of the monastery and she, seeing Duan Yu groaning as he picked himself up from the ground, went forward and used her arm to help him up, laughing, “Mischievous again, so much shouting and wrangling!”

Mu Wanqing saw that although the nun was older than Duan Yu, she was pretty, and was actually so intimate towards Duan Yu, and Duan Yu himself was using his right arm to hug the nun’s waist, and even had a very happy expression on his face. Seeing this, she could not help feeling very jealous, and she, who could not care less about the strong enemy behind her, went forward and used her palm to strike the nun, yelling, “Why are you holding his arm? Let go of him now!” Duan Yu called frantically, “Sister Wan, do not be rude!” Hearing Duan Yu side with the nun, Mu Wanqing became even more angry, and even when her feet had not reached the ground, she had added more energy to her palm. [to be continued]

As you are doing a continuation of Moin's and my translation, you might have noticed you have to reword some of your terms so as to provide a smoother read for the readers out there. I have also changed the translation of mine 'Talisman of Life and Death' back into 'Life-Death Insignia' as readers might go 'huh?' at the new terms when they were actually used before. So...

It might be better to change 'Wu Liang Mountain' into 'Mt. No Measure', and from 'Despicable Evil' into 'To the Core Evil'. And so on.

Your translation is pretty good. Perhaps you might want to leave a space between each paragraph. 'Cause it helps the readers rest their eyes and plus, it doesn't look so intimidating.

And wait, it's ZUO Zi Mu, not zhuo.

Also,

looking around, realised that the robed person, and Zhu, Bo, Zhu these four people were gone

The robed person (Marquis Shan Chan) isn't included in the four. Rather, the four people mentioned refers to Chu, Gu, Fu, Zhu who first arrived at the scene.

Yeah, that's about it.

I'm about one-tenth done with chapter 7. By early May, I should be able to produce a Chapter 7.

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PS. Translation help needed (tactic learnt from chowbeng). Not exactly help needed for translation, but rather, I need anybody whose English is good; you don't need Chinese here, readers.

I am currently doing the title of the chapter and I cannot find an archaic/poetic phrase that goes along the lines of "all is lost" or "it's too late" or "nothing can be done". I've tried 'All is irremediable' but it sounds er-hem. So do try and help, will ya?

Thanks for the translation. Pacifian and ani411.
I know that the readers don't have the right to ask you translators to do this or do that but I really hope you two can finish the chapters about Duan Yu and his crappy lovesickness soon to be able to keep working with the chapters concerning the heroic deeds of Xiao Feng. .

good translation comments pacifian!
hehe i actually prefer chinese names such as wu liang mountain; it always makes me cringe whenever they have really awkward translations of the chinese names. but continuity is an important factor.

Pacifian, i would be happy to try to help out with the translation/editing! English is my first language and I have some basic chinese reading/writing skills, but not anywhere close enough to translate jin yong =)

good translation comments pacifian!
hehe i actually prefer chinese names such as wu liang mountain; it always makes me cringe whenever they have really awkward translations of the chinese names. but continuity is an important factor.

I agree, No Measure Mountain just doesn't convey the grandiose impression that Wu Liang does. But No Measure is probably better for everyone.

The title for this novel is tough- especially since it is already known as demi-gods and semi-devils to lots of people, so changing it might confuse some. Personally, the first time i saw demi-gods and semi-devils i went, huh?? doesn't make much sense to me as a primarily english reader :P

I would've gone for a slightly more literal translation even though its also slightly awkward, like eight levels of heavenly dragons, or just leave it as "tian long ba bu" that at least makes sense to me in both english and chinese.

anyone know where the title came from? it doesn't seem to relate to the novel much (at least at this point).